MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Frustrated Argentine farmers preparing for a second conflict

With only a week left for the end of the month long truce, negotiations between Argentine farmers and government are virtually paralyzed, --and with growing animosity--, while rural organizations begun to review protest mechanisms, taking lessons from the three weeks strike, in the event of the resumption of the conflict as of May 2.

Luciano Miguens from the all powerful Argentine Rural Society again complained on Thursday of the "lack of definition" from the government at the negotiation table in Government House. "Unfortunately these days we were unable to advance" said Miguens who underlined that while the camp "was respectful of the truce", the government did not come up with the promises agreed. However, "we will continue to insist in the few days left, but days fly by and no solution is on sight" At the beginning of April Argentine farmers who had been striking for three weeks to protest the hike of export levies on oilseeds and grains plus other grievances referred to manipulation of markets, began a three weeks strike with road blocks that left cities short of food and triggered a crisis for the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. But a one month truce until May 2 to address the issues was agreed while a round of negotiations at Government House worked on the vast agenda or at least the most crucial and immediate issues. However from the beginning government officials were intent in pushing ahead with the policy of "redistribution" of windfall earnings from soaring commodities prices, which farmers coldheartedly accepted but in exchange wanted more flexibility and less government interference with prices. The two Kirchner administrations have limited or suspended exports whenever they felt necessary to ensure Argentine consumers pay "Argentine prices" and not international prices for food. "We need to find methods which bring through the strength and truth of our message, which I'm convinced are fair and honest claims; we don't want to be ripped off or go bankrupt", said Carlos Garetto vicepresident of another farmers' organization Coninagro. Garetto admitted that farmers are currently debating how the route blocks will be implemented so as not hinder the supply of basic supplies with the purpose of not confronting "urban communities" or loosing their support. The farmers' leader also pointed out that inside Mrs. Kirchner's administration there are "doves and hawks". While some are betting "to strengthen dialogue and finding a way out to the conflict" others keep "putting impediments to any possible advance". Nevertheless Garetto was adamant, "we must exhaust all dialogue instances, we must avoid extreme measures and much less of the magnitude and the way they developed in March".